When the 2011 NHL offseason began, there were two teams in particular that felt as though they deserved a better fate. The San Jose Sharks had been pushed around by a tough Vancouver Canucks team in the Western conference final before conceding the series, while in the Eastern conference the Montreal Canadiens suffered three of their four losses to the Boston Bruins in overtime in the opening round. The Canadiens and Sharks both knew what they needed to do in the sports betting offseason to improve, and wasted little time making moves.

San Jose dealt both Devin Setoguchi and Danny Heatley to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Brent Burns and Martin Havlat in separate deals, committing to get a lot grittier in the online casino postseason. Meanwhile, Montreal addressed its lack of size with the addition of power forward Eric Cole from the Carolina Hurricanes following a 26-goal campaign a year ago. Both teams felt as though their core players were strong enough to make another postseason run this season, and those key additions will help them as they strive for the Stanley Cup. The biggest loser from this offseason? The Toronto Maple Leafs once again missed out on some big names, and were only able to sign Tim Connolly, a veteran center with a history of concussions. The Maple Leafs haven’t made the playoffs in nearly a decade, and it won’t become any easier this season after failing to add anyone other than Connolly.